


Time to Move on

by Leanne221B



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-08-25
Updated: 2013-08-25
Packaged: 2017-12-24 13:48:30
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,738
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/940696
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Leanne221B/pseuds/Leanne221B
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Remus Lupin is in love with his friend Lily, but she deserves better than a werewolf, she deserves James Potter. Doesn't she?</p>
            </blockquote>





	Time to Move on

"so, any plans for the summer Remus?" Lily was smiling at him expectantly, but Remus was tongue-tied. The bright sunlight shone on her red hair and her eyes never stopped being dazzling. Her grin faltered slightly as Remus tripped over his words.

"I, uh, no, not really." He swallowed nervously, and Lily looked disappointed as the silence lengthened.

"Oi! Moony!" James appeared around the corner, making his way towards them, and Remus made an effort not to groan. He looked back at Lily, who had narrowed her eyes at the new arrival. "I'll be going then" she said, her voice suddenly cold as she turned and walked quickly away before James could reach them. When he did, he threw an arm around Remus, staring after Lily.

"God, isn't Evans gorgeous" he murmured. Remus sighed quietly. "Definitely," he said weakly. If James noticed the note of sadness, he didn't say anything; he and Sirius were already moving on, talking about something or other, Remus wasn't paying attention, still staring after Lily. Remus Lupin was in love with Lily, that much he knew. That much he had always known, since first year, when they met at the feast. Both quiet and bookish, naturally they clicked, but as her passion and confidence emerged it amazed him, inspired him, who could blame him for falling in love with her? But even then, their first meeting, Severus had been jealous, overbearing. And as time went on, Remus became friends with James. Six years in the same house meant that Lily and Remus had become friends, but their different paths meant that they could never be as close as he'd have liked. Besides, Remus reminded himself regularly, Lily Evans deserved better than a werewolf.

That night he stayed late at the library, making the most of it before the end of the school year, but as he made his way back to the common room, Lily was waiting for him . "Remus" she called out to him before he could pass, "can I have a word?" He looked around to find that they were the only two left. Oh God, he thought. smiling and nodding, he felt sad and tired as she sat him down on one of the two-seaters.

"Okay so I really like you and I mean like you like you not just as a friend and I know I sound really stupid and at first I thought you probably wouldn't feel the same way but I've seen the way you look at me and I was wondering if maybe you'd like to go out with me or something."

She said all of this very quickly, as though she had no control over the words as they tumbled out. She looked away afterwards, too embarrassed to look him in the eye. It was probably for the best, it meant that she didn't have to watch as Remus's heart broke.

 _She deserves better than a werewolf,_  he told himself yet again. _She deserves better than me. If I truly love her, I won't let her settle for a werewolf._

"I'm sorry," was all he could bring himself to say, but it was enough. Lily filled in the rest, her face reddening as her eyes widened. "oh," she mumbled. "That's okay, you know, it didn't matter much anyway," she shuffled awkwardly in her seat.

"Snape will be pleased," Remus said suddenly, giving a short mirthless laugh.

Lily frowned, a crease forming between her eyebrows as she dropped her gaze to her hands. God, she was beautiful.

"I think Sev likes me," she muttered. Remus laughed, causing her to look up, frowning even more.

"Come on Lily! That much is obvious! He's fancied you since first year."

She didn't respond, she just continued frowning, her head dropped and she spoke her next words to the floor.

"Maybe... Maybe I should give him a chance. I mean, he's always been there for - "

"Lily, you know where he's headed don't you?" his voice was soft and sad this time, and she sniffed. He knew she was crying, though her face was hidden by her cascades of red hair. He ached to brush it back, to hold her face in his hands, to catch the tears before they fell. But no, he clenched his fists. She nodded, mumbling again. "I've tried to help him Remus. He won't listen to me. He's going to end up in Azkaban... Or worse."

She looked up suddenly. her green eyes sparkling with tears. "He's been bad all along, hasn't he?" She stifled a little sob, and Remus finally gave in to the urge to hug her. He sighed in to her hair.

"I'm going to give you a piece of advice that I never thought I'd have to explain to you, of all people." The hug ended and he held her shoulders at arm's length, looking her dead in the eyes. "The world isn't split into good people and Death Eaters. We've all got both light and dark inside us. What matters is the part we choose to act on." He gave her a sad little smile, which she returned.

"It's something I have to remind James and Sirius at least once a week," he laughed. Feeling suddenly awkward, he dropped his hands. _James_.

"Actually, James is a prime example." He saw her stiffen at the mention of him.

"Look, Lily, I know he can seem like a bit of an arrogant pig," she scoffed, but he ignored it "but he's a good person really." Remus hesitated, feeling his heart break as he said the next words. Plus, you know he likes you."

"James Potter doesn't like me!" she spat, "he's intrigued because I'm the only girl at Hogwarts who has ever said no to him." Her voice was full of venom, but she was caught off-guard when Remus chuckled.

"That's what you think? Lily, James Potter likes you almost as much as he likes himself."

"Is that even possible?" She laughed, but blushing a little despite her better judgement.

"Like that thing he does, where he calls you Evans? It's because he doesn't want to seem too eager. She laughed again, slightly nervously this time, and Remus saw his chance.

"And have you noticed that he gets all broody whenever you're sad?" Lily shook her head "Yeah, absolutely. Last time you and Snape fought it almost put him off his food!" She looked up at Remus, serious now. "He really cares about me? But we're not even friends He doesn't even know me!" It was Remus's turn to feel embarrassed. Maybe it wasn't the best time to mention that Remus frequently spoke about how good and kind and clever she was.

"Just try and look past the surface, you did it with Snape."

That seemed to do the trick, she stared at him for a moment before giving a tiny nod. Remus smiled. It's for the best, he thought to himself.

When Lily left, she gave him a quick little hug, feeling awkward. He had just rejected her after all, but he'd been so bloody nice about it. She didn't know how to feel; about Remus, Sev, James, any of it, but luckily for her, she didn't have to face any of them again until the next day, the final quidditch match of the year.

She was walking down to the pitch when she saw James, already in his kit, leaning against a tree, his broomstick balanced on his shoulder, almost as though he'd been waiting for her.

"Evans!" He called out when he saw her, pushing away from the tree to saunter towards her. She giggled involuntarily, remembering what Remus had told her. Either James was taken unawares by her unexpectedly friendly response, or he was simply genuinely delighted to see her giggle, but either way he grinned. It was a real grin, genuine and goofy, very much unlike the arrogant smirk he used to smoulder at the other girls. Even after he had composed himself, Lily felt a certain fondness towards this new, genuine James.

"Wanna wear my lucky scarf?" he almost crooned the words, gesturing to the gryffindor scarf he wore around his neck.

The scarf had a reputation, apparently James always had his girlfriend-f-the-week wear it during matches, claiming that the combination of the scarf, and whichever poor simpering creature was given it would be "the perfect lucky charm." Lily raised her eyebrow in response, but James continued, taking it all in his stride. "How about a date then?" He winked, and she laughed, "no," she told him. Feeling suddenly brave, she reached up and took the scarf quicker than he could even become aware that it was happening. "No date. But I will take this" she grinned, wrapping it around her own neck.

"You lose this match, I feed it to the thestrals." She turned and walked away, still smirking.

Her bravery remained until she sat down and saw Remus a few rows behind her. He exchanged a meaningful look with Sirius (who had been banned from the match after his latest act of rebellion) reminding Lily that she was still wearing the oh-so-significant scarf.

She and James would talk about hat day a lot, how he sought her out from the crowd just before he caught the snitch, how they had their first real conversation when he had come to collect his scarf afterwards, how it had been the first day of their friendship, later to become a romance.

But there was one thing she never mentioned, one secret she carried around with her, and remembered whenever she saw sadness in Remus's eyes after James kissed her, or when she saw him smile weakly when James told her he loved her.

She never mentioned, never breathed a word of what she had heard Remus say to Sirius during the match, when they thought she couldn't hear.

"she doesn't know what I am, he's better for her than I am. She deserves better." He had said.

"Moony old boy, let me tell you, you are a good man. I know how much this must be killing you - " The cheers became too loud for her to hear the rest of Sirius's  reply, but she had heard enough. Wiping a tear from her eye, she looked for James, who met her eyes from the air and grinned his goofy grin. She returned it. It was time to move on. 


End file.
